Description: A walkthrough of the Hero Path of tnu84's Legend of Lu Bu, a Legend of Cao Cao mod. This walkthrough is based on Lady Wu's English translation of the game. Story synopsis and spoilers galore.

This is a walkthrough for the Hero Path of the Legend of Lu Bu, a Legend of Cao Cao mod created by tnu84 of the XYCQ forum community. The storyline picks up from after Lu Bu escapes from Cao Cao's pursuit in Hebei, and makes a decision on whether he should focus on becoming the most powerful person in the realm so he can set things right, or whether he should focus instead on creating a world of peace where power does not dictate everything. Choosing "to create a world of peace" leads to the Hero storyline of the game.

Hero Path

Lu Bu resolves to use his strength to help build a world of peace, reasoning that it is his responsibility to do so.

Lu Bu finds out that Guo Jia fell ill and that Zhang He is pursuing Gao Gan. Despite what his subordinates say, he decides to go to Gao Gan's aid instead of going to Xiliang. Lu Bu and Diaochan ride ahead to Jingzhou, while Zhang Liao and the rest of the troops follow behind.

Right before the battle, Lu Bu is injured by Zhang He and leaves the battlefield with Diaochan. Therefore, before going to battle make sure you pass on Lu Bu and Diaochan's gear to someone else who's actually going to be in the battle. Your units appear in a straight line from top to bottom on the left hand side of the field, in the order they are clicked (the first unit selected appears at the top and the last unit selected at the bottom). You may want to put Zang Ba and whoever isn't that hindered by dirt, hills, and snow up top, and put the faster melee units on the bottom to save Gao Gan.

Story: Zhang Liao has everyone comb the area to find Lu Bu and Diaochan, but not a trace of them is found. Ju Shou suggests that they move southward and station in Jingzhou, Liu Biao's territory. Just as they are discussing this, Wen Pin, an officer from Jingzhou, arrives with an offer from the Lord of Jingzhou for Zhang Liao's men to stay in Jingzhou. Zhang Liao learns that Liu Biao has died recently, and the land is now ruled by Cai Mao, brother-in-law of Liu Biao. Ju Shou warns Zhang Liao to beware of Cai Mao as he has a bad reputation.

Back in Xuchang, Zhang He reports to Cao Cao that he was unable to capture either Wen Chou or Lu Bu. But instead of reprimanding him, Cao Cao entrusts Zhang He to the task of mopping up the remaining Yuan family troops in the north. Zhang He leaves, and Cao Cao issues an order to tell Cai Mao to not make any sudden moves until the Wei forces arrive. Then he appoints Xiahou Yuan as the commander-in-chief for the campaign against Liu Bei and Lu Bu.

Cai Mao's real intentions are discovered as Hua Tuo reports to Zhang Liao that all the fresh water sources in the Jingzhou area are poisoned. Zhang Liao decides that they must take their future in their own hands, and gives orders to prepare for battle.

Story: Lu Bu wakes up and finds himself somewhere unknown. Diaochan enters the room and briefs him on everything that has happened. Lu Bu is anxious to go back to help Zhang Liao, but Diaochan tells him that he is in no condition to be of help. Rather, she says, he should concentrate on getting well and wait for more up-to-date news.

Cai Mao, after losing Xiangyang to Zhang Liao, flees to Jiangling. Zhang Liao is hot on his trail.

Ma Yunlu appears as an ally at the start of the stage.At Round 5, the victory condition changes to "defeat Cai Mao".At Round 7, Huang Zhong and Wei Yan arrive with enemy reinforcements.

Items:

Hex Mark (defeat Zhang Wu in duel)

Notes:

Send Wei Xu and Gao Shun to save Ma Yunlu, and everyone else go north as fast as possible, avoiding getting in the range of a pirate while on water. If need be, the slower tactician units may have to hold back until there is a clear path to land. Having Hua Tuo cast Haste may be helpful. At round 5, Ma Yunlu tells Zhang Liao that enemy reinforcements will be arriving, and that he should send someone to guard the chokepoint between the hills and the city. But since the victory conditions have changed to "defeat Cai Mao", you should just focus on doing that--charge into the city and off that traitorous cretin.

Story: Cao Cao learns that Zhang Liao has defeated Cai Mao and controls all of Jingzhou. Xiahou Yuan, in the meanwhile, is bogged down at Gucheng doing combat with Liu Bei.

Although Liu Bei seems to be heading towards certain defeat at Gucheng, he has no plans to escape. Instead, he is staying in the area in order to enlist the service of an adviser named Zhuge Liang...

Somewhere in Jingzhou, Diaochan notes that Lu Bu has been recovering rapidly in the last few days. Lu Bu replies that it may be due to his having rediscovered the sense of calmness in the face of danger. Lu Bu’s stats increase by 30 all round.

Zhang Liao charges Chen Gong and Ju Shou to the internal administration of Jingzhou. Hua Tuo leaves to treat the commoners who have been affected by the poisoned water. At this time, Cao Xing comes in with a report that Gucheng is about to fall to Xiahou Yuan's attacks. Zhang Liao decides to go reinforce Liu Bei, since this would be to their own tactical advantage.

Head north and enter the castle from Zhang Fei's gate as soon as possible. Zhang Liao (Scorcher + Jade Seal) and Gao Shun (Twin Flails + 6 Strategies) may be having a good time wiping out the enemy infantry, but as soon as the horsebows arrive they're in danger. One strategy is to ignore the infantry and charge north to attack the horsebows before they get the chance to kick your butt, but for people who play more conservatively it may be easier to defend from within the castle.

After the battle, Guan Yu gives his Green Dragon Sabre to Zhang Liao, asking him to cut down Cao Cao with the blade.

Story: Hua Tuo is out treating villages afflicted by the poison, while he encounters Ma Yunlu. They have quite a bit to chat about, since Ma Yunlu also knows some medicine and also has an older brother. Ma Yunlu then asks to join Lu Bu's force, thinking that if she helps Lu Bu to victory, her father would have a better chance in beating Cao Cao.

Cao Cao finds out that Liu Bei has move into the Riverlands. In order to corner him, Cao Cao launches a campaign to invade Jingzhou. Sun Quan, feeling the pressure from the north, also considers taking Jingzhou. However, Zhou Yu convinces him otherwise, saying that Huang Gai and he have come up with a ruse that can repel Cao Cao's invasion.

Meanwhile, Lu Bu is feeling much better. He is ready to go to Xiangyang to rejoin Zhang Liao, but Diaochan predicts that Xiangyang will not hold and Zhang Liao will retreat to Jiangxia instead.

Hua Tuo and Ma Yunlu return to Xiangyang. After a long deliberation, Zhang Liao decides to let Ma Yunlu join, and orders the retreat to Jiangxia. Chen Gong reports that the peasants of Xiangyang, fearing Cao Cao's cruelness, would like to follow them to Jiangxia. Although taking the peasants along would slow them down considerably, Zhang Liao decides at the end to take the peasants with them.

Lu Bu and Diaochan will make it back in time for this battle, so give them their gear back. Lu Bu should have Scorcher/Dragon Robe/Red Hare.

Lu Bu is able to clear off the east part of the map by himself. The only issue is to clear that area before the peasants arrive. Have Diaochan catch up with him ASAP and cast Hearten on him (a Haste from Ma Yunlu will help), and send one or two of the units to the right of the bridge to go up and help. Lu Bu's buffed up Burst, along with Sky Scorcher, should allow him to eliminate two enemy units in one go. As always, eliminate the long-range attackers (Strategist, Catapult, and Archers, in that order) first before dealing with the infantry.

Zhang Liao and everyone to the left of the bridge should retreat across the bridge as fast as possible, and work on eliminating the Tiger Cavalry one by one until Xiahou En comes up to meet his death (through duelling Zhang Liao). After that, all you have to do is wait until the peasants arrive at the escape point.

Story: Sun Quan sends an emissary to negotiate an alliance with Lu Bu. Lu Bu consents to meeting Sun Quan, and sends Diaochan to find out more about Ma Yunlu.

Ma Yunlu reveals that she is the daughter of Ma Teng, and that she ran away to Jingzhou because she dislikes Xiliang, her home. The south has better weather and everything is just so much nicer, she says, and so she wishes to stay. Diaochan consents.

Lu Bu meets up with Sun Quan, who proposes a two-pronged attack: Sun Quan's forces will engage Cao Cao on the river, while Lu Bu will attack the Wei camp on land. To soften up the enemy, Zhou Yu and Huang Gai will use the "battered-body plan" to launch a fire attack at Cao Cao's boats. Ju Shou is called upon to predict a day when the east wind will blow.

As Lu Bu and Sun Quan are figuring out the details of the battle, Ma Yunlu strolls by the river, upset that she is not allowed to attend the meeting. There she runs into a young man--Lu Xun--who keeps sighing at the river. Ma Yunlu goes up to him and lectures him for sighing and not admitting to the reason. Finally, Lu Xun admits that he has been sighing because he feels that he cannot live up to what people expect of him. Ma Yunlu points out a flower on the ground, and says that he should live his life like the flower, trying as hard as possible to grow towards the sun and not worrying about other people's expectations. Lu Xun laughs at Ma Yunlu for trying to solve other people's problems but not her own. To that, Ma Yunlu replies only cryptically that a flower cannot thrive in snowstorms no matter how hard it tries.

In the Wei camp, Cao Cao, Cheng Yu, and Yu Jin discuss Huang Gai's upcoming surrender. Cheng Yu points out the possibility of a feigned surrender, but Cao Cao points out that even if it were one, there's nothing Wu can gain out of it as the wind is blowing in the wrong direction for a fire attack.

...Or not. Guo Jia makes a sudden appearance in Cao Cao's naval camp, with Zhang He in tow. They explain to Cao Cao that Ju Shou can predict the weather, and the allied forces must be using this ability to aid them in a fire attack. Thereupon, Cao Cao decides to turn the ruse against them...

Story: Lu Bu and Sun Quan's allied forces are defeated at Chibi, and retreat to their respective homebases. Cao Cao is about to continue the attack when he receives news that Tong Pass is under attack from the Ma family of Xiliang. Guo Jia suggests that they withdraw completely from Jingzhou, and issue edicts to Sun Quan and Liu Zhang to attack Jingzhou, in the name of the emperor. This way, all of Lu Bu, Sun Quan, and Liu Zhang's forces would be weakened from fighting each other, and the Wei forces can defeat them easily and regain Jingzhou. Cao Cao adopts this plan and retreats to deal with the Ma family, leaving Xiahou Dun to defend Wan. Cheng Yu accepts his place as a second-rate adviser.

Having received the "imperial edict", Sun Quan agrees to launch the attack, and Liu Zhang decides to send Zhang Ren to the campaign. However, fearing that Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang have other plans for the Riverlands, Zhang Ren recommends Liu Zhang to send Guan Yu instead.

Seeing that most of Lu Bu's forces are gone, Xiahou Dun seizes the opportunity to attack Xinye. Ju Shou and company must meet him in battle near Bowang Slope. Cao Xing gets this feeling that they make a really odd team...

You may want to give the Jade Seal to Cao Xing, the Blaze Fan and Bandana to Ju Shou, and Storm to either Ju Gu or Ma Yunlu. True, there isn't a single meatshield on your team (or, for that matter, anyone who can sustain any kind of physical damage), but the shields won't offer much protection either. So you might as well max out everyone's attack abilities instead.

At the beginning of the stage, Cao Xing lures Xiahou Dun into a fire trap. Xiahou Dun, 3 Cavalry, and 3 Horsebow are stunned and their defence is lowered.

Notes:

Xiahou Dun has the Mirror Armour on and thus must be taken out with tactics alone. Cao Xing, with Jade Seal equipped, is capable of defeating one of the stunned units in one shot (the horsebows are definitely a shot a piece, but the cavalry may take a bit of luck). Thus, he can wipe out at least 3 stunned units before Li Dian's men catch up with him (though Yu Jin will arrive a bit faster and be a bit of a nuisance). If the stuns and the defence-downs keep, Ju Gu and Ma Yunlu will have time to act. Get Yu Jin and whoever approaches stunned as well, and let your two mounted units do all the killing. You may have to load a bit to make sure the stuns stay, or else this stage can turn nasty...

Story: Wei Xu and Song Xian are very happy to have been reunited with their families, who have been in Jingzhou all along. Hou Cheng, however, appears less thrilled to have found his.

In the Riverlands, Liu Bei laments that everyone is now fighting amongst themselves instead of joining hands against Cao Cao. Zhuge Liang advises Liu Bei to make peace with the other three major forces in the realm and build an alliance against Cao Cao, using the Riverlands as a base. Although initially reluctant about taking over Liu Zhang's land, Liu Bei finally consents, and suggests allying with Lu Bu first, since he is closer than Sun Quan was. A man must be sent to Lu Bu to arrange this alliance, without arousing Zhang Ren's suspicion. Zhuge Liang has the perfect candidate in mind...

Meanwhile, in Wu, Zhou Yu is pushing himself, in spite of his failing health, to take Jingzhou in order to make up for the defeat at Chibi. Lu Xun offers to take on the task in his stead, but Zhou Yu replies that Lu Xun has already lost his calmness and cannot be entrusted with such a task.

Back in Xiangyang, Zhang Liao holds a counselling session with Hou Cheng, who admits that he joined the army in order to escape his family. Since his childhood, he has felt that his family expects too much of him, even though he doesn't have what it takes to excel. Zhang Liao tells him to focus his mind on the task at hand, and not to worry about things that are beyond his control.

Chen Gong presents two pieces of news to Lu Bu: that Zhou Yu has died, and that one Pang Tong has been recruiting a rogue force around the Jingzhou/Riverland border.

Zhou Yu has indeed died. In the Wu camp, Lu Xun argues that they should press on the attack even without Zhou Yu. Sun Quan is hesistant, but Lu Xun promises with his life that he would achieve victory in three months.

Scene cuts back to Xiangyang, where Zhang Liao prepares to meet his friend and rival, Guan Yu, in combat.

Make sure you're well-stocked on recovery items prior to this battle. As you have no tactician on your side at all, and the Guans all hit hard, you will be relying on recovery items a lot. Wen Pin's troops are helpful, but they tend to be a bit dim and get stuck easily at chokepoints. Help them out a bit by drawing away some of the enemy units behind the first barracade before Wen Pin arrives. After that, it's fairly straightforward---move north slowly, keep Wen Pin alive, and use recovery items whenever necessary.

Story: Diaochan is incredulous that Guan Yu is defeated so quickly, but Lu Bu is only concerned with defeating Sun Quan quickly so he can go back to reinforce Ju Shou and Zhang Liao. Lu Bu remarks that Sun Quan is quite persistent, to press on the attacks even with the loss of Zhou Yu. Diaochan warns him not to underestimate Lu Xun...

Chen Gong rushes in to report that Sun Quan's troops have been sighted sailing towards Guiyang. Despite Diaochan's warning that this could be a ruse, Lu Bu decides to race the Wu troops to Guiyang, leaving only Gao Shun and Chen Gong in defence of Changsha.

Somewhere around Xinye, Ma Yunlu questions Ju Gu about his conflict with his father. Ju Gu admits that he likes divination and astrology as well, but abandoned those subjects due to increasing pressure from the Yuan camp that he become like his father. In order to avoid being compared to Ju Shou, he chose to study something completely different. Ma Yunlu then exhorts him to explain this to Ju Shou and clear things up when they get back. But there is no need, as Ju Shou has been overhearing them all along...

Back in southern Jingzhou, it turns out that the naval attack is indeed a trap to lure Lu Bu's main forces away from Changsha. Taking advantage of Lu Bu's absence and a timely fog, the Wu forces besieged Changsha. Just as Lu Bu is wondering how to save Changsha, a man called Jiang Wei offers to join them and offers a strategy to defeat Sun Quan.

You may consider giving Hex Mark to Lu Bu, Zhou Cang, or Hua Tuo, as they have a huge river to cross in the following stage.

In the first round, Diaochan runs south towards the city, casting Passion on herself. Lu Bu and Zang Ba stay on the hills, preferably on a square that is not adjacent to any water (pirates suffer a huge terrain penalty on hills). Hua Tuo can feel free to cast Hearten or Embolden on the units on the hills. Gao Shun and Chen Gong guard the city gates (staying INSIDE the city!), after casting Power on themselves.

Gan Ning's pirates will die off soon enough, but so will the three allied infantry units to the west. To make things worse, Lu Xun orders an all-out attack at the beginning of the enemy's Round 2. With a couple of dodges, Diaochan and Gao Shun should be able to last until Lu Bu's contingent arrives on the south shore with the help of the speed increase in Round 5. Chen Gong may have to work as a healer full time until then. Once Lu Bu's units arrive, the battle becomes a piece of cake, so charge south, arrange for Jiang Wei to meet Lu Xun, pick up the goodies in the Wu camp, and clear the stage.

Story: Upon hearing news of Guan Yu's defeat, Liu Zhang sends Zhang Ren to reinforce him. Zhang Ren is worried still about Pang Tong's rogue force and Zhuge Liang's schemes, but decides that Zhuge Liang--even if Pang Tong is on his side--can't really do much mischief anyway. And so he leaves Chengdu.

Ju Shou sends a letter to Lu Bu, advising him to invade Wan as Cao Cao's force has recently been weakened. This means Lu Bu has to send reinforcements to both Xiangyang, in order to repel Zhang Ren, and to Xinye, in order to invade Wan. Hua Tuo volunteers to go to Xiangyang to help fight Guan Yu, but Diaochan objects vehemently, citing that Hua Tuo is needed in Changsha still to treat soldiers who are not used to the southern climate. At the end, it is decided that Ju Shou will go to Xiangyang, and Jiang Wei will replace him at Xinye. Since Jiang Wei is new to Jingzhou and doesn't know the way to Xinye, Zang Ba is sent to go with him.

After Lu Bu, Zang Ba, and Jiang Wei leave to discuss the details of the deployment, Hua Tuo confronts Diaochan, demanding the real reason for her objection to his going to Xiangyang. Diaochan replies that Hua Xiong wouldn't have wanted his brother to live with vengeance in his heart, and Hua Tuo angrily counters that it's none of her business.

In Xinye, Jiang Wei and Zang Ba are long overdue, and Ju Shou is worried that if he waited any longer it would be too late to help Zhang Liao. Ma Yunlu volunteers to go in his stead, stating that she knows Zhang Ren and that there is some bad blood between them. Cao Xing speculates wildly about her relationship to Zhang Ren. Ju Shou, right before leaving the meeting to finalize the troop deployment, praises his son for what he did at Bowang Slope. Ju Gu is delighted to have his father approve of him at last.

Bug: Jiang Wei will freeze if he is to the right of the main gate when the last Fighter is eliminated.

Notes:

This is not a hard level, since enemies are few and Jiang Wei is strong. Plus he conveniently gets Yu Jin out of the way via a duel. The hardest part is to not get him stuck due to the bug mentioned above. I think the deal is that if he can't get to an enemy within his movement range, he would just stand still.

Anyway, since the Fighters don't have Beanbags, it's relatively simple to leave one close enough to the centre for Jiang Wei to kill.Make sure you leave the Cao Xing/Xiahou Yuan duel until the end, as Xiahou Yuan will come out of the duel with increased Attack.

Story: Ma Yunlu arrives at Xiangyang and Wei Xu presents a creative (also very wrong) speculation as to her relationship with Zhang Ren. Hou Cheng, having overcome his inferiority complex and focussed his mind, crafted a beautiful steel helmet, which is now added to your inventory. And Zhang Liao saddles up to meet the Riverland troops in combat...

Ma Yunlu is just as good at messing with the enemy's mind as Ju Gu is. After a bit of drama from Ma Yunlu, all the enemies on Zhang Ren's side suffer all-round stat decreases.

Items:

Beans x 1

Notes:

On the west side of the map, Wei Xu and Song Xian can hold their own as long as the enemy doesn't recover from the stat decreases too soon--equip Wei Xu with Scorcher/Jade Seal and Song Xian with 6 Strategies so that they can wipe out Zhang Ren's contingent quickly, and let Ma Yunlu cast Embolden on them the first round (carefully placing them out of the enemy Fighters' tactic range). After that, she will be quite busy casting Transport on Zhang Liao and Hou Cheng.

Zhou Cang and the Guan kids can pack quite a punch so keep Zhang Liao in the village for extra protection. I would recommend giving both Zhang Liao and Hou Cheng defence-boosting items, and this may be a good place to give Zhang Liao the Green Dragon (to avoid counterattacks). The horsebows may attempt to attack Ma Yunlu. But usually by the time that happens, Song Xian and/or Hou Cheng should be free to help her out.

After the west side is cleared, send someone to go retrieve the Recovery Bean in the village in the northeast corner, and everyone else go help Zhang Liao bully the Guan kids.

Story: Lu Xun apologizes to Sun Quan for the defeat at Changsha and offers to resign. Jiang Qin reveals that the defeat was actually due to Gan Ning's insubordination. Sun Quan persuades Lu Xun to stay at least until Lu Bu is defeated. In Lu Bu's camp, Hua Tuo apologizes to Diaochan for his bad attitude the other day, but maintains that he has the right to begrudge Guan Yu.

After the initial duel (automatic), both Lu Bu and Gan Ning's defence drops.

Notes:

A huge lineup from the Wu team, but no need to fear. First, move Lu Bu and Diaochan back into the fort. Pirates have a 90% terrain penalty on land, so use that to your advantage. Although they will attempt to take the fort on both sides, they won't last very long against Lu Bu and the Sky Scorcher. Then sail south. The Wu units on land hit hard, but since they will not move until you land, take your time and eliminate them one by one with Diaochan's Twin Comets and Chen Gong's fire attacks. Finally, charge into the Wu camp, trigger the dialogues, and beat Sun Quan into submission.

Story: Lu Bu negotiates a ceasefire with Sun Quan, and meets up with the rest of his men in Xiangyang. There, he finds out that the Ma family has lost to Cao Cao, but the main commanders of the Ma family are safe. Ma Yunlu, after goading Lu Bu into agreeing to let her continue fighting for them, goes out to take a walk. A while later, Jiang Wei arrives. After his true identity is explained to the group, Jiang Wei announces that Liu Bei has arrived in Jingzhou to negotiate an alliance, and presents the Twin Swords as a token of trust. Zhuge Liang has also arrived in Jingzhou, but has gone to look for a friend.

Ma Yunlu strolls by the riverside and overhears Zhuge Liang talking to himself about the Ma Family's defeat. After trying to save her family's face ("It's called strategic withdrawal!"), she chitchats with Zhuge Liang about the recent situation and guesses correctly that Liu Bei is planning a coup in Shu. She remarks that Liu Bei's chances are low as long as Zhang Ren is around, to which Zhuge Liang answered that Zhang Ren must not be allowed to return to the Riverlands. Ma Yunlu then remembers that she is supposed to be back for a meeting, but before she goes, Zhuge Liang presents her with his White Fan. After she is gone, Jiang Wei comes back with the news that the alliance is a go, and Zhuge Liang tells him about this very intelligent girl he just met...

Lu Bu vs. Pang Tong, after which the condition for victory will become eliminate all enemies except Zhang Ren.

Notes:Catapults are always nasty so advance slowly. There is no annoying door opening and closing as in Legend of Cao Cao. Pang Tong can take care of himself--he has a Beanbag on him and can basically survive indefinitely. Use Ma Yunlu or Ju Gu to keep Zhang Ren stunned and this stage should be a breeze.

Zhang Ren commits suicide after the battle is lost. Liu Bei and Lu Bu, though seeing Zhang Ren as a formidable opponent, nonetheless is saddened by his death. Lu Bu helps Liu Bei take over the Riverlands and form an alliance with Ma Teng. Cao Cao is about to meet them head-on while he finds Yuan Xi, of all people, wreaking havoc at his rear...

Cao Cao now faces attacks from three fronts. Fortunately for him, as Xun Yu reports, Jia Xu has invented a poison that can hold Liu Bei and Ma Teng's men at bay. Thereupon, Cao Cao goes to deal with Yuan Xi in Ye, after sending Cheng Yu and Zhang He to take Cao Ren, Cao Hong, Liu Ye, and Man Chong to hold off Lu Bu.

News of Liu Bei and Ma Teng being poisoned and defeated soon reach Lu Bu. Ma Yunlu is anxious to check on her family, and Hua Tuo decides to tag along to see if he can help. But since neither of them can fight, Lu Bu sends Wei Xu, Song Xian, and Zang Ba to escort them. And now Lu Bu must encounter Cheng Yu's fearful Ten-Part Ambush...

At enemy's round 2, Cheng Yu triggers the Ten-Part Ambush. Zhang He appears on the left with 6 Horsebows, and Cao Ren appears on the right with 6 cavalry units. Ambush units gains speed boost.At round 4, Xu Shu appears and kills Cheng Yu, causing enemy ambush forces to be stunned and numbed.

Items:

Leather Gloves (defeat Liu Ye)

Notes:

The Ten-Part Ambush is nasty. While it is possible to meet it head-on, it is more advisable to take advantage of the bottom of the screen. Move Lu Bu back to the rest of the group and have the melee units form a wall around the tacticians. Since the horsebows appear on the left, make sure your mounted units are all on the right and keep Hou Cheng, Diaochan, and Gao Shun on the left. The tacticians stay in the middle and heal or attack as required. You really only need to hold out for two turns, since the master swordsman Xu Shu (finally! Someone remembers that Xu Shu used to be a swordsman before going back to school to become a strategist!) appears at Round 4 and kills Cheng Yu, which throws the ambush forces into confusion. After that, take your time and wipe out the rest of the Wei troops, unless Xu Shu got to them first. Xu Shu has a Beanbag and is indestructible.

Story: On the western front, Hua Tuo is faced with a moral dilemma. He has an antidote for the poison, but if he admits to it, he'd have to administer it to everybody, including his sworn enemy, Guan Yu. But if he does not give out the antidote, the western front would collapse and the Han will never again have a chance to revive. Just as he is about to choose vengeance (and suicide, if the war is lost on his account), Ma Yunlu runs in and begs him to save Ma Chao. Hua Tuo relents.

Hua Tuo gives the medicine to Guan Yu and reveals his identity. He asks Guan Yu to let the dead rest in peace and let bygones be bygones. Guan Yu promises never to say a bad word of Hua Xiong again.

Jiang Wei and Ma Chao are discussing the upcoming battle while Ma Yunlu barges in and demands Ma Chao to take her along. Ma Chao refuses and says he will send her back home instead. Ma Yunlu leaves in a huff. However, Jiang Wei eventually convinces Ma Chao to let Ma Yunlu help with the fighting.

Meanwhile, Cao Cao receives news that Jia Xu's poison no longer has an effect on the allied forces. He sends Xiahou Yuan to reinforce Chang'an. Xiahou Dun gives Yuan the Mirror Armour and bids him to come home safely.

Ma Yunlu heads up the Lu forces, much to Wei Xu's chagrin. She gives the White Jewel to Hua Tuo as a thank-you gift for saving the Ma family from the poison. Hua Tuo replies that he has learned so much from treating the victims that he managed to finish his medical text. Hua's Journal is added to the inventory.

The hardest part of this level is to get Huang Zhong next to Xiahou Yuan in order to trigger the duel. Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang each has a Beanbag, and since Zhuge has access to all the healing spells, you don't have to worry about them staying alive. They can pretty much take on Jia Xu's contingent on their own. The question is how to keep Huang Zhong alive long enough for him to duel Xiahou Yuan.

Basically, there are two ways. One is to lure Xiahou Yuan over to Huang Zhong by putting an easy target (Wei Xu, for instance) somewhere Xiahou Yuan can reach by moving close to Huang Zhong. The second is to create an easy target behind Xiahou Yuan (leaving a close-to-dying enemy unit near Xiahou Yuan, forcing Huang Zhong to move to a square adjacent to Xiahou). Either way, you may find it easier to clear most of the field first and keep Xiahou Yuan stunned until you're ready to arrange the duel.

The Beanbag alone will NOT save Lu Xun. Catapults and archers will deal him more damage than the Beanbag can heal him for, so it is advisable to send one of your own tacticians over to back him up. Soften up the infantry hordes with a few Scorches and Explosions, and leave them for Yuan Xi's men to mop up while rushing over to help Lu Xun out. The Wu forces are pretty weak: the Fighters will only cast Poison, which does pitiful little damage, and Lu Xun has a death wish. He doesn't heal himself when there's an enemy to attack. Go back and trigger the conversations only after making sure Lu Xun cannot be killed.

Lu Bu's stat decreases are temporary and will wear out after a while. The Attack decrease can be cancelled by having Diaochan cast Hearten on him, but otherwise he's little use except as a meatshield for most of the stage.

Lu Bu and Wu's forces takes over Xuchang. Meanwhile, Cao Cao is defeated by Liu Bei and Ma Teng in the west, and retreats to Ye. The four forces meet up and press onward to Ye.

Hua Tuo warns Lu Bu that if he does not rest for two months and let his wounds heal, his life would be in danger. Lu Xun meets Ma Yunlu again and sadly realizes that Ma Yunlu probably doesn't care for him the same way he cares for her.

In Lu Bu's camp, it is decided that Diaochan will lead the final attack on Cao Cao. Lu Bu is quite miffed about having to sit out of the last battle, but there is no other choice.

Events: Cao Cao will keep reviving until all other enemy units have been eliminated.At round 10, the allied forces increase in abilities.

Notes:

The Ye map is the same as the Jianye map in Legend of Cao Cao. Troop assignment goes as follows: the first three (and Diaochan) show up in the north along with Liu Bei's forces, the next four (and Ma Yunlu) are in the west with the Xiliang troops (including Jiang Wei), and the last three are in the east along with Zhang Liao, Guan Yu, and Lu Xun (Guan Yu to Lu Xun: "Thank goodness you're not my enemy!" Hehehe). I would recommend placing your strongest units in the north and in the west, as you have more allied support at those gates. Wei Xu and Hou Cheng are useless at this stage given that they can't hit for more than what Beanbags can heal, so stick them in the east. The east gate has the fewest friendly troops, and Guan Yu and Lu Xun don't last very long. So you might as well abandon that and focus your strength at the other two gates.

This stage is a test of patience more than any other stage in the game, not because it's hard, but because every enemy unit except for Cao Cao has a Beanbag, and Cao Cao regenerates indefinitely until all his men are gone. On top of that, the allied AI is not smart enough to know that the enemy units all have Beanbags, so allied units will keep attacking regardless of whether their hit will actually damage the enemy or give them a free heal. Liu Bei in particular is guilty of this. He casts the equivalent of Supply on enemy troops every turn by attempting Blazes instead of doing a physical attack (which would actually cause damage).

However, this isn't a hard stage by a long shot. Remember the motto "Slow and steady wins the race." You have all of 50 rounds for this stage, which is plentiful. Take out the enemy units one by one and resist the temptation to use mass damage tactics. The enemy AI isn't too bright, either, as most units will stay in place and wait for you to get to them, instead of actively pursuing you, even if you're in their movement range.

First round, evacuate the east gate and have everyone head to the north. Three cavalry will come after you, but Guan Yu and Lu Xun should be able to hold them off for a bit. In the other two gates, have Zang Ba, Ma Yunlu, and Ju Gu abuse Jeer, or it will take a really long time to finish off anyone. Diaochan and Hua Tuo can cast Hearten on allied units to help out. Anyone who can cast Power on themselves should do so.

After the north and the west are cleared, it's time to tackle Cao Cao's elite guard in the centre. The allied units are dumb---they will keep hitting Cao Cao, who stuns them upon counterattack and who will keep reviving. But at least it keeps Liu Bei occupied... Anyway, clear a path through the centre to get to the east, and finish off the cavalry and horsebows there. When the map is clear, come back to deal Cao Cao the final blow...

Just as he is defeated, Cao Cao disappeared into an underground tunnel. By the time the allied forces finds the door, it is securely locked from the inside. Zhuge Liang orders everyone to comb the area to find another entrance into the tunnel.

Zhang Liao discovers the tunnel entrance, and reports to Lu Bu and Diaochan. Diaochan insists on going in by herself, since it would take too long to mobilize the troops. Lu Bu goes with her.

When you arrive at the battle site, Lu Bu and Diaochan will automatically go to the room to the east, where Sima Yi appears with four wooden puppets. First round, have Diaochan cast Hearten on Lu Bu. Then, have Lu Bu make a beeline for Sima Yi with the help of Diaochan's Return. Ignore the puppets but keep hitting Sima until he disappears with the puppets.

Sima Yi regenerates in the room to the south, this time with four Golems. These are a bit more tricky since Golems can stun upon attack, and you don't want that. The trick is to lure them all to the room with the water. Golems move even slower than Lu Bu does on water, so you can easily trap them in that room while Lu Bu charges at Sima Yi. This time, Lu Bu gets a terrain bonus and kills Sima Yi with little effort.

The third room opens up, and there's Cao Cao with a legion consisting of one unit of each unit type. Surprisingly, they are not equipped with Beanbags, so it's a piece of cake if you take them out one by one using the corridor as a chokepoint. Once Cao Cao is defeated, Xu Chu shows up. Lu Bu goes and duels him automatically, and kills Xu Chu with the help of Diaochan. Cao Cao attempts to flee once more, but is checked by Zhang Liao, who arrives with his troops. Zhang Liao cuts down Cao Cao (just as he was charged to do by Guan Yu), and so ends the last stage. Congratulations!

The House of Han is restored, and Liu Bei requests to govern the Riverlands, after recommending Zhuge Liang to be Prime Minister. Lu Bu, who has lost his ability to fight on account of his injuries, leaves with Diaochan to live as hermits. Zhang Liao, Guan Yu, and the Horsebowfoot Trio is appointed to guard the nation's borders, while Chen Gong is made governor of Xiapi and Ju Shou goes back to help Yuan Xi govern Ye. Cao Xing founds an archery school, Gao Shun returns to his old martial arts academy, Hua Tuo embarks on a book tour, and Zang Ba eventually finds his way home and takes up farming again.

Jiang Wei marries Ma Yunlu in Xiliang. Everyone attends the wedding, except for a heartbroken Lu Xun, who declines the invitation, stating that he is busy with helping Sun Quan govern Wu. Later, Lu Xun would marry Sun Ce's daughter and have what everyone would consider the perfect life, but in his heart he never forgets Ma Yunlu...

Lady Wu wrote:What's funny is that it's not *that* long by the standards of text-only walkthroughs. But getting it marked up is a pain!

Yeah, I've written a walkthrough or two for a few games and they were quite lengthy. But as an article writer myself, I also know how long it takes to write and properly construct these articles to proper standards.